Lost and Found
by LauraLaurent
Summary: Terra is an inept thief, who's joy in life is to annoy others. On her way to the State Alchemist exam, she makes the mistake of robbing none other than Edward Elric! CHAPTER 2 UP! Will Mustang actually do his paperwork?
1. Chapter 1!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or Bright Eyes, but boy if I did I would buy a big house, where we both could live_

Hello all! I usually write FFVII fics, but I couldn't resist writing a little bit on FMA. This is my first story with an OC as a main character. I never thought I ould write one before, but I woke up one morning with this story in my head and it wouldn't leave until I wrote it.

I'll make sure she doesn't turn into a Mary Sue, but sorry if she seems like one in some moments. I'll try my best not to make this another trite fic!

P.S. I have edited this chapter a bit, since the dream sequence didn't seem right. At this moment in the story, I'm trying to convey a more light hearted feeling.

Well...Read on!

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_Is it true what I heard about the Son of God? _

_Did he come to save?__Did he come at all?_

_And if I dried his feet, with my dirty hair, _

_would he make me clean again?_

_--Don't Know When But a Day is Gonna Come; Bright Eyes_

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_Blood was everywhere. It was dripping from her every pore, swirling gushing, a vicious torrent threatening to consume her._

_She couldn't move. Sluggishly, her arms struggled against the surging stream of death, but she was weakening._

_In the distance she glimpsed a small child, just out of the reach of the flood. _

_Saucer eyes glared at her, and the child pointed to a hole in his chest where his young heart should have been._

' _You did this to me'_

_He waded into the sea of blood. His skin was teeming with maggots, and she could smell rotting flesh. _

_He swam towards her with surprising agility, as she thrashed about violently._

'_You, you, you, it was you. It was you. It was you. You, and only you. It was you and it will always be you and you don't deserve the life that was given to you.'_

_Frantically, she floundered and sputtered, trying to escape as the boy came closer and closer._

_His putrid stench burned her nostrils, and she gagged only to inhale the liquid that was slowly rising._

_It was rising._

_He was five feet away now._

_Her eyes writhed in their sockets ,desperately seeking a way out. _

_There was no way out._

_He was an arm's length away now._

_Small, decaying fingers clasped around her neck, and gently pushed her under._

_She could see a million shadows, laughing and mocking with flashing eyes and long white coats. _

_A door towered overhead; it's hinges cracked against the pressure that was pushing at it._

_Between the splintering panels, a wisp of smoke billowed out and seeped into her mouth._

_Her life, her death._

_She was drowning, oh, what a horrible end… to drown was to live, to live was to drown._

'_I'm sinking, I'm falling, I'm lost. Please, there has to be, there must be a way out…'_

_And the knowing reply,_

' _Only fools challenge fate…there's no way out.'_

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It was midnight in the slums of Central, and a few stray cats were picking through a garbage can when a blood-curdling scream pierced the night air. Startled, they whipped their crooked tails and made a hasty retreat into the safety of a crumbling alleyway.

The source of the shriek sat straight up in her bed, striving to escape from the sheets that were suffocating her.

After a few minutes she finally untangled herself, and hunched over the edge of her mattress, gasping for breath.

It had been the third nightmare this week.

Throughout her whole life she had suffered night terrors sporadically, but never so many times in a row. The dream was always the same, and she was becoming more and more afraid to go to sleep at night.

She didn't want to see that sad, little face ever again.

Glancing around the room, she grimaced at how dismal her surroundings were. Business hadn't been going that well of late, and just a few nights ago she had been unceremoniously dumped by her landlord, having failed to pay rent for the past eight months.

This dingy hotel room was only a temporary dwelling, but the cramped quarters made her claustrophobic and she wasn't one who enjoyed cockroaches merrily making their way about her feet every morning.

It was hard to make enough money to earn a living, especially when you were only sixteen years old. Not quite born, but certainly raised in the poorest area of Central, the girl had been on her own since the tender age of thirteen and as a result was wise in the ways of survival. Any other person's heart would have turned cold at the ugly, terrible things she had endured, but somehow she hadn't lost her optimism, her overall lust for life.

Well, she may call it optimism, but in fact most saw her as obnoxious. Sure, she could be what some may call "overbearing" at times, but that was only a direct result of one of her greatest joys in life.

The joy of annoying others. Yes, strange but true, this girl took immense satisfaction in bugging the crap out of those she met. Luckily, her chosen profession perfectly suited her love of annoying others.

She was a thief.

No, it wasn't a particularly exalted path, but when it comes to survival, the downtrodden will use any means necessary in order to survive.

She was Terra Eclipse, self-proclaimed "Greatest Thief/Alchemist Worldwide", and was more than ready to challenge anyone who said otherwise.

Though, truth be told, she probably could only beat that disbelieving individual at alchemy, since despite her cockiness she wasn't that good of a thief. She could steal a man's tie from right under his oblivious nose, but always fumbled in the escape attempt.Lady Luck never seemed to be on her side, and that, in addition to a tendency to act without thinking, was what ultimately lead to Terra being broke.

Terra sighed again, and pulled the threadbare sheets around herself, making a comfortable cocoon. Snuggling deeper into the welcoming warmth she smiled at the thought of morning.

Then, she would finally be safe. She would eat three square meals everyday for the first time in her life. Every night she would be warm and satisfied.

She was going to become a State Alchemist.

No, not just for the high pay involved, she also had a few ulterior motives.

But mostly it was for the paycheck.

Besides, there were all together too many stiffs in the military, who were in desperate need of some aggravation, courtesy of Terra Eclipse.

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"Shit I'm late!"

Terra sprinted from her tenant, nearly bowling over the old landlady as she plummeted out the door.

"Sorry Mrs. Jenkins!" She gasped without looking back, throwing a hand up in farewell.

The old woman smiled, waving back even though the girl was halfway down the street already.

"Poor, sweet child." She whispered, and humming a little tune headed upstairs to threaten a man into paying his rent.

Terra was about two blocks from her destination when hunger took control.Once it was impossible to ignore the pangs any longer, she slowed to a stop and checked her wallet. Examining the contents she groaned at the realization that all she had for breakfast was one copper.

"I never should have bought all those drinks to celebrate last night." She whispered thoughtfully, and placed the sad, empty thing back in her pocket.

'Guess I'll have to pull off a little job before the test. Better to be late then starving my ass off before the written and physical exam.'

The teen scouted the crowd for a likely target, and her eyes fell upon a boy in a red cloak. His braided, blond hair fell back between his shoulder blades, and he was embarrassingly short in stature. Next to him stood a very large figure wearing aratheruncomfortable lookingsuit of armor.

'Why would someone be decked out like that in the middle of the summer? Who wears a full set of armor like that anyways?' she mused, but putting that thought aside redirected her attention to the blond teen.

He was currently storming about in a huff, and was growling about something or other. The taller one had a pleading look on his face, somehow conveyed even while wearing that strange helmet, but the latter paid no attention.

'He's so distracted,' She grinned, 'An easy mark.'

Stealthily the thief began to creep closer and closer to the pair, concealed by the troves of people that were busy with their morning routines. As Terra approached, she began to distinguish what the blond was saying.

"Al, it's stupid I don't see why we have to go there. He just wants to torture us, I know it! He thinks it's funny to make us wake up at eight in the morning on our break!"

The suit of armor jangled, as the statuesque man shook his head.

"Brother, he wouldn't do that. Be happy! It means that he values our opinions, he trusts us."

The blond scowled and kicked a bottle, sending shards skittering down the sidewalk, still grumbling and ignoring his brother's rationalizations.

Terra was so close she could practically taste her future meal. She saw her chance when the blond slipped over a piece of glass and fell flat on his back. Elated,Terra darted forward in a blur and lifted a satisfyingly heavy coin purse from his side.

Terra was just about to make a clean escape, when she tripped clumsily over the very same piece of glass and fell straight into something very hard and very shiny.

Fearfully, her gaze shot upwards. She had fallen straight into one of the men she was trying to rob.

The helmeted head peered quizzically down at her, as she smiled nervously and coughed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the blond stirring and Terra knew she had to think up something quick.

Opening her large eyes wide, so they looked even bigger, Terra's lower lip trembled. She threw her arms into the air dramatically and cried, "What did I ever do to you? Oh, my poor face! How could you run into a poor, poor defenseless girl?"

She pulled her face into what she believed to be heartbreaking puppy dog eyes but, sadly, the mediocre actress looked more like a Chihuahua on crack.

The man gave her a sympathetic, yet slightly confused look, and he said in a childlike voice, "Excuse me?"

Terra raising a trembling handthen fell, only to be swiftly caught by the man.She loudlywailed, " Oh, oh, my poor fragile and delicate bones. How could you brutish men be so cruel?"

"I'm… sorry..?"

Terra nearly giggled. The poor guy had absolutely no idea what was going on. Then, she sensed that the other was rising to his feet and slipped under thelatter's grip squealing, perkily, "Well, no harm done! To forget is heavenly but to forgive is human, or something of that sort! I'm sure my face isn't too marred, and won't effect my modeling career, I'm sure."

With a large smile she blathered on,hands gesturing wildlywhilst she slowly backed away.

The blond stood up, blazing with anger and Terra's face fell.

'Too late, he's found me out!'

Tensing her muscles, Terrastretched out her fingers-- knuckles crackling with alchemic power.

"You!" The blond said angrily, storming toward her, " Why did you blame Al! It was obviously YOUR fault that you ran into him!"

Terra was dumbfounded.

She giggled in relief, only to be interrupted by the blond, who angrily said, "It'sNOT funny!"

She tried her best to stop laughing, she really did, but the situation was hilarious. Here she was, making off with his coin purse and he was getting angry at her for running into his brother!

'This guy must be having a bad day.'

She thought gleefully, between badly concealed chuckles.

"Brother, it's no big deal." said the taller one "I mean, even if she did run into me it's not like I'm the one who would get hurt."

"It's the principle of the thing!" The other huffed, his lips pulled into what suspiciously looked like a bratty kid pout.

"The short one's are always hot-tempered…" She reflected aloud.

The blond's flushed purple. He pushed himself up on his toes, so his eyes were almost level with Terra's

and screamed, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SOTINY THAT HE COULD SLEEP IN A WALNUT SHELL?"

Terra could have sworn she saw steam billowing from his flared nostrils.

She had no idea how to respond to his strange question. She sat a few moments, her hair billowing with each of the boy's breaths.

By chance Terra glanced at the clock tower, whilst trying to avoid the boy's gaze, and realized what time it was.

"Shit I'm LATE!" she screeched and bowled both the men over, sliding quickly around the corner and out of sight.

"What a strange girl." Said Alphonse, glancing at his brother for confirmation.

His brother stood there, anger having nearly dissipated. He moodily shoved his hands in his pockets.

Suddenly, the boy's face turned white. His hands rummaged around the pockets, the search becoming more and more frantic by the second.

"Ed, what's wrong?"

Ed looked up, his tawny eye's glowing with rage. He closed them and threw his head up toward the sky, yelling,

"She stole my wallet!"

Halfway across town, an individual completely oblivious to the danger she was in, sat in a small waiting room eating a croissant ravenously. She had just polished off the last crumbs when a voice called out,

"Eclipse, Terra."

"Yessss?"

"It's time for your written exam."

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Did you like it? I know, not that different from any other fic so far, but I promise the plot will be like nothing you have EVER SEEN! lol. Read and Revew, don't hesitate to point out any mistakes because god knows I need the help. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: awhieuhakwhdawd

Hello all! So, the new chapter's finally here, after much procrastination on my part. Personally, I love this one even though a few parts are a little tweaked. This chapter has taken a more humourous turn, and is a little disjointed, but for some reason I still love it.

Though this has nothing to do with the story, I just wanted to mention that I was watching the Cry of the Chimera episode last night, and even though I've already seen it, it still made me cry. I think that was the episode that got me really hooked on the show.

Well...read on!

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"Aw man, that was so hard! Didn't you think it was hard? Boy, was it hard…I didn't know the answer to a single question! How 'bout you? Huh? Did you think it was totally hard?" 

Taylor Haskins glared viciously in response to the myriad of questions, and stood up without answering. The hyperactive girl next to him either didn't acknowledge his eminence or was completely oblivious, because she continued to prattle on and on as they walked to the front of the room.

'Ugh, why must I am I always stuck with the obnoxious ones?' He pondered, mussing his shaggy brown hair.

The entire exam, the girl behind him had either been chewing on her long, black curls, drawing little elephants all over her paper, or flicking bits of eraser at the back of his head. It had been the most aggravating three hours of his life, and even though testing had finished she STILL wouldn't leave him alone.

Taylor Haskins was a perfectionist. Everything he did had to be accomplished flawlessly, or else he wouldn't be satisfied. His room was more sterile than a hospital, and his apparel impeccable, devoid of even the smallest speck of dust. He studied voraciously, and though lacking in natural alchemic talent, had become an adept alchemist through years of hard work.

Yet strangely enough Taylor's hair, despite his efforts, remained unmanageable.

Yes, his bedraggled locks were the very bane of his existence. For many years he had attempted to tame his wild brown hair, but all endeavors had proved futile. A mass of tangles and split ends, his unruly locks persistently stuck out at every angle, giving him the appearance of some surfer boy, instead of the polished persona he was aiming for.

He grimaced at the mere thought of the repercussions his hair caused to his image. The annoying girl noticed it, as they placed their finished exams in the bin at the front of the room, simultaneously.

Her purple eyes widened, and she twirled a strand of his hair, cooing.

"Hey, what's the matter smarty pants? You can't be worried about the test, 'cause I saw you filling it out crazy fast! You look like a little lost puppy, with your hair all crazy like that."

"Don't touch me." Taylor seethed, between clenched teeth.

"Awww poor little puppy boy, is mad! Don't be mad messy little baby!"

"I am not a messy little baby!"

He yelled, in a shrill voice, and sprinted away from the psycho girl. Once he was a safe distance away he stopped to catch his breath.

Straightening his tie, he resumed at a more respectable pace, reasoning,

'At least I know there's no way she's going to pass and become a State Alchemist.'

---666---

Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes at the sight of Lieutenant Hawkeye strolling toward him, arms laden with paperwork.

Her eyes glimmered with what suspiciously resembled amusement, when she dumped the pile on Mustang's desk.

"State Alchemist Entry Exams, for you to assess, sir."

Mustang raised a gloved hand to his forehead and replied, tersely, "Hawkeye, you know that isn't my job."

"I know, sir, but this testing day happens to fall on the week of vacation that many alchemists in our sector are enjoying at this very moment."

The brunette scowled, and looked up at Hawkeye through threaded fingers, growling, "And _why _are we not getting a vacation?"

"Well, sir, I believe you are the one who personally informed the Fuhrer that our unit simply didn't need any vacation time, and that we could handle the extra work when the others were on break."

Though Hawkeye spoke in monotone, Mustang could detect an overall sense of resentment oozing from her very pores.

Unruffled, he tapped the table irritably, striving to remember what could have caused him to revoke his unit's vacation privileges.

Suddenly, a vision of a certain someone's grinning face floated into his mind, echoing,

"_Just think about it Roy…Roy…Roy…_

… _It's an amazing way to show the Fuhrer your commitment to military!"_

"_I mean, who in their right mind gives up their vacation….vacation…vacation…?"_

"_Well anyways… Look at this new picture of Elicia in her bathing suit! Isn't she adorable…adorable…adorable…?"_

Roy punched the table, sending all of the tests flying in every direction and snarled, "DAMN IT! What possessed me listen to Maes Hughes twisted logic? "

Hawkeye cast a very confused look in his direction. Yet despite her bewilderment, the blonde dutifully gathered up the papers, whilst Mustang held his clenched fist in the air, mumbling indecipherable threats.

He steadfastly continued in this vein, even when Riza had placed the papers back on his desk. She waited a few moments, but then decided that Roy best be left alone, and fled.

Mustang nearly fell out of his chair when the door loudly slammed shut. Glad that no one was there to see that lapse of dignity, he smoothed his hair and regained his composure.

The corners of his mouth turned pulled into a scowl when he noticed the papers again. Mustang rubbed the back of his neck, and could already feel the beginnings of a headache coming on at the mere sight of 'work'.

Mustang suddenly felt a burst of inspiration and thought, 'I can do this!'

Yes, Roy Mustang was going to correct every one of those papers! He smiled at the thought of how satisfying it would be, once he was finished.

What could be more satisfying to a man then a job well done?

Brimming with ambition and confidence, Mustang rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a pencil, and picked up the first piece of paper.

_5 minutes later_

The "pass" bin still sat empty and forlorn on the general's desk. The "fail" one, in comparison, currently contained the first ten of the hundred alchemist applicants' exams.

The general sat, back turned resolutely away from his desk, and rubbed his temples in aggravation.

Why did people have to be such idiots?

His head would most certainly implode if he read one more devastatingly horrible exam.

Mustang was just about to call it a day, and dump the rest of the papers in the "fail" bin, when he remembered something.

A smirk graced Roy Mustang's features, as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He gathered the rest of the exams off the desk, then dumped them into the "pass" bin with gusto.

The name "Terra Eclipse" on the top paper caught his eye, and strangely enough he completely ignored the fact that there were little flying elephants all over it in the place of actual answers. Then, he casually lifted his phone off the desk, still smirking.

As the phone rang, Mustang leaned back, folding his long legs across the ebony desk. There was a click when the receiver on the other end of the line picked up, and he said, "Charisse! I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch with me today."

He twirled a pencil between his fingers.

"No, no I'm not busy today! Well you see, I was going to have to correct all these tests, to see whether a bunch of the new State Alchemist applicants pass and get to move on to the evaluation, but now I don't have to."

The pencil became a yellow blur between his fingers.

"Why is that? Well…let's just say I have a little solution to this dilemma. Yes, I passed all of them, since I just remembered I'm not the one who has to sit through the evaluation."

"I know, I know, very sneaky of me but I just wanted to go to lunch with you so very much.

"Excellent, see you then."

Mustang delicately put the phone back in it's place, then folded his hands behind his head. The smirk on his face erupted to a full on grin, and he grabbed his jacket off of the chair. Throwing it over his shoulder, Colonel Mustang left his office much happier than he had entered it.

Yes, a job well done was nice and all… but it was even more satisfying when there was someone else to do the work for you.

---666---

Edward Elric sat in an evaluator's chair, gold eyes alit with fury. He gazed around the mass of people waiting their turn.

"I'll get you for this Mustang…"

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Hehehehe poor little Ed.

BTW, I am completely in love with my random OC Taylor Haskins, just to let you all know

Well...read and review!


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